Among the numerous excellent essays and poems of Jo Labadie, of Detroit,Mich, the poem "Windows" shines as a star of first magnitude. The poem was inspired in this way: The poetry class of the Detroit Women's Writers' Club was given "Windows" as the subject on which to write, and Mr. Labadie was also asked to write something,and the poem "Windows" is the "something," as Jo puts it. Thru the first window the poet sees the world as it is, and describes the real inferno with the vividness that Dante pictured a mythical one. From another window he sees the world as with good reason we think it would be with liberty, as it would be if the vast majority of men wrould no longer uphold and fight for the frauds, scoundrels and warriors of this and all countries. Other windows show the soul of the author, the stupidity of men generally, and the concluding lines issue a defiance to the lords, rulers, tyrants of the world that almost makes the reader listen wistfully for the beating of the drums.—Edward H. Fulton in the Egoist, Clinton, Iowa.

WINDOWS

by

Jo Labadie

BUBBLING WATERS THE LABADIE SHOP

1924

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WINDOWS.

Thru one of the windows that overlook the wild wide world 1 view a scene bedecked with black in the faraway reaches of every circling scope. .Vithin the black is a stream of blood, human blood, fresh, quick, coagulating, from the wounds of Stupidity, Making the picture drab, dejecting, dismal, Pressing the heart excruciatingly as in a vise.

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Along the banks appear skulking figures carrying bags of gold that chafe the harrassed

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flesh,

Spoils of tyranny, banditry, monopoly, butchery— Rulership of every kind, of every shape and size,

and every degree of social soreness, Put plausibly by preachers, politicians, profit-mongers with rubber-tired words to ease

Which Stupidity (the mass man, the menial-minded) docs not comprehend are always assumed gain to the slinking figures along the banks of the bloodv stream struggling

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with the bags of gold, .like rats carrying poisoned food to their holes. I also see Freedom maimed, halt, burdened

with States, Governments, Laws piled high as the silvery clouds; Subtle Authority labeling every package: "For the good of the people!" While Satanic grins wrinkle his leering face, Realizing how cleverly he fools Stupidity ever and always,

Stupidity that ever and always appeals to false gods for succor from poverty, disease, crime, prostitution— The need to beg for leave to use Natures ample

means of ward from want. Alonif the highways and bvwavs of history I see

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signs written 4'Laws/' And always and everywhere they point up

blind alleys to slaughter pens, where grim Death sits in regal robes, Surrounded by receptacles filled with gas that kills instantly a citvfull of life, animal and

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vegetable;

By explosives that lay low everything caused Inhuman will and wisdom and make of the

world a desolation desolated by mania

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gone mad! 2

Out of this window I see churches built by cunning hands, of gold and jewels from the pennies of the poor, So unlike the place where Jesus was born, So different than the open spaces roofed by the

skv, ornamented with clouds and stars, Lit bv the lamp of the world, Where he preached, and obscurely preaches

still, pleads still, prays still, That it is easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven,

Knowing that the possession of inordinate

wealth is gotten wrongfully, invites jealous}*, envy, gluttony, unhappiness— Things that make hell upon earth a reality from

which even Croesus cannot escape; That he is sent to heal the broken-hearted from

the unequal struggle to live a worthy life; To preach deliverance to the captive from the

power of privilege and pelf; To recover the sight of those mentally blinded

by the glare of social debaucheries; To set at liberty those that are bruised by the brutality of the respectable Brotherhood of Brigandage. 3

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Poor brother man! 1 see that you are less wise than foolish,

less man than brute, less like Jesus than Satan; And I present the world as evidence in the

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Court of Reason, Tho the pedantic preachers say you arc made

in the image of God. Great God, how they must surely libel you in

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the brazen attempt to Hatter themselves! Look never in a placid pool to see yourself mirrored if you'd retain respect for the judgement of preachers! Wonderful window thru which I look! There are many such windows thru which others

may see these man-made adversities-Were they cleaned with self-respecting hands and cloths that clean.

Out of another window, mv dream window

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i see smiles seductive as the morning sun, thick

as leaves on the trees in summer; Laughter greeting my ears as the fussy ripples

of busv brooks; Delightful daughters of Eve adorned as fragrant flowers of fields and forests Care-free children in the garb of innocence splashing in welcome waters; 4

(Think of asix-foot, double-listed, giddy-headed dolt, big as an ox, running around a ring chasing his nose, cutting up monkevshines on a bar, knocking out what little sense there was in another's lie id—for "Atuuse-mcnir ^

When he could do real service to society bv sawing wood, cultivating fields, digging coal, building buildings—and of more benefit to his own development also.)

I see crime displaced by lessening the difficulty of getting jobs by which to make a living than by criminality and selling real estate;

Prostitution, mental and physical, extirpated by opening the way to ease and comfort thru laudable work and equitable pay.

1 see peace, plenty, prosperity thru this dream window.

J see that strong men, great men, good men need nor wealth nor political power nor supernatural bunkum to be loved and honored;

That power and magnetism are within themselves, their humanity, and the influences which radiate the ravs of the invigorating

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sun thru them emit love and happiness & peace and joy;

That they are charged as batteries with the

elcdric forces of honesty, integrity, industry—the self-reliance to do for themselves than have things done for them;

Loaded to fullness with the will to take from Natures storehouse only such things as sustain their own lives in ample comfort,

Leaving to others equal chances to do likewise;

Inspired with the spirit of even partnership in the ffifts of Clod without lvinir fiat in the trough like hn<js to get more than their

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needs and crowding others out;

Nor do thev like vandals <ro thru the forests

chopping down trees just because they have sharp axes.

I see Freedom in holiday attire at last, striding sturdily in the confident open, his majestic brow facing the future like one jjoin? into a

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new home all his own; hale fellow well met with good-will; a glad hand for everybody white, black, red and yellow, like a liberated prisoner innocent of crime long in limbo, his full features indicating a break in a long fast.

These dream windows are obtainable in the marts of wisdom at the price of observation.

And then I look thru another window at mv own soul.

And wonder .what in the depths is in store for a society that is not sensible enuf, not egoistic enuf, not proud enuf to save itself from perdition!

1 see the common people all too idiotically common! 7

Ah, my beloved, even in your besottedness, I love you,

I Jut I hate vour iirnorance, vour submissiveness, your slobbery mouths that malign the red rebels against the dastard and the persistent assaults on vour humanity and well-being,

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While you remain silent as shadows and as resent I ess.

Tho there be no redress in violence for aggression

Yet, rather than remain a truckler under the heels of an ogre,

I'd rend him with ravage hands from breech to neck if I could

And whip the pans into shreds, even tho I died the death in doing it! ■

Better a corpse in courage than quick in poltroonery.

He is fool indeed who sows invasion and hopes to reap ought but hate and danger!

There seems no red i ess for wrongs but threatened peril.

Then let that threat be as relentless as the fires

of hell!

Jo LaAadie.

(Tin? IVtry Clns* of Detroit Women'* Writers'Club was

given "Wi-.uiows" as the* m hjoct on which to write, and I was also asked t<> write som.'tiling, The foregoing is the something.)

J&ag, bearie, bo gou ftfte untqueneBS in QjSoofta ?

THEN WHY NOT TRY

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Nothing like them anywhere else. Every process in the old-fashion way. They are mostly written by an old-fashion fellow, put into old-fashion type in the old-fashion way, printed on an old-fashion press, sewed and bound in the old-fashion style, but got rid of by an entirely new process. If you haven't the price a book goes to anyone who asks. The income so far has been almost wholly prompted by partisans of this way of having this enterprise run. It is the newest way of capitalizing goodfellowship, comraderie, fraternity; making one hand wash the other, as it were; casting bread upon the waters, and so on. We haven't as yet run short of funds to grease the wheels with, and some of the Booklets are in the second edition. They are not published for profit, but more as a diversion from the bread-and-butter stint. It is largely as an experiment of doing business on the basis of love as an asset, and several years' experience has demonstrated to a large degree that it pays betterthan the grab and skin system, the conventional profit.

The Labadie Shop is now located at Bubbling Waters, a modest home in the wilderness, 35 miles from Detroit, one mile north of Grand River Road, on the Oakland and Livingston counties line, made possible by the generosity of friends. The P. O. address is Wixom, Mich., R.F.D. 1; and 2306 Buchanan St., Detroit, in the winter months. Remember, Booklets at your own price, from postage up. Size from 16 to 100 pages. All hand work.